Conn. Board Nominees Fan Flames of Discontent

At a time when attention has focused on the issue of diversity in
Connecticut schools, Gov. John G. Rowland has fanned the flames with
his nominees to the state school board.

The withdrawal this month of the most embattled of the Governor's
nominees, Kay Wall, has not extinguished the fire.

Educators, lawmakers, and civic leaders have chastised Mr. Rowland
for failing to promote racial balance on the board. Four of his
original nominees are white, and the fifth is from Colombia.

If the legislature approves the nominations, the state's two largest
minority groups--blacks and Puerto Ricans--will have no representation
on the nine-member board.

Critics have also charged that two of the candidates have no
business on the state board because they work in private
schools.

Follows Controversial Ruling

The fuss over the nominations comes weeks after Governor Rowland
upset minority residents by toasting with champagne a decision in
Sheff v. O'Neill, a closely watched school-desegregation case in
Hartford.

A judge ruled last month that the state was not responsible for
rectifying the racial separation of minority and white students in that
city and its suburbs. (See Education Week, 4/19/95.)

Despite the decision, the Governor had vowed to work toward
voluntarily integrating the state's schools. But some educators took
the recent nominations as a sign of tepid support for that goal.

"You want to have a board that's representative of the ethnic and
racial diversity in the state, particularly as we're trying to work
toward balance in the schools," said Robert F. Eagan, the president of
the Connecticut Education Association. "The Governor just displayed an
insensitivity to those issues."

But it was the Governor's support of Ms. Wall, a parent and activist
from Greenwich, that caused the biggest stir.

No 'Fair Hearing'?

Ms. Wall played a big role in defeating a proposal last year to
revamp the state's schools. In the process, she clashed with
legislators, business leaders, and other backers of the
performance-based plan, which she said would lower standards and
undermine local control.

Marc Ryan, a spokesman for the Governor, said that Ms. Wall "never
got a fair hearing."

Mr. Rowland made his picks based on "expertise in education," Mr.
Ryan said, and Ms. Wall was as familiar with the terrain as anyone.

But an early count in the House showed too few votes for Ms. Wall's
approval. Both houses must vote on nominations to the board, which has
authority to appoint the state commissioner of education.

Ms. Wall said last week that her appointment was derailed by false
information about her views.

"While I was talking about the issues, my opponents and the press
were attempting to paint an unreal picture of who I was," she said.

While some observers said the withdrawal could deflect criticism of
the remaining candidates, others predicted a tough battle
ahead.

'Public Trust'

The state teachers' union and others are wary of Mr. Rowland's two
nominations of educators from private schools.

Mr. Eagan said he fears those nominees, if approved, would be open
to options such as school vouchers for students who want to attend
private or parochial schools.

In recent years, more supporters of private schools have been
elected or appointed to state boards, said Brenda Welburn, the
executive director of the National Association of State Boards of
Education.

For example, two members of Alabama's state board have children
enrolled in private schools.

Some state boards have limited authority over such regulatory issues
as safety at private schools.

Although some board members from private education may support
vouchers or other alternatives, that does not mean that private school
teachers or administrators cannot serve the public good, said Peter
Tacy, the executive director of the Connecticut Association of
Independent Schools.

"It's absurd," Mr. Tacy said of the controversy over such
appointments in his state. "These people are in a position of public
trust."

"They should be able to serve without conflict of interest," he
added.

Whatever the outcome of those nominations, the void left by Ms.
Wall's withdrawal gives Governor Rowland a chance to improve the
board's diversity, said Patrice McCarthy, the deputy director of the
Connecticut Association of Boards of Education.

"We hope that now that he has the opportunity to nominate someone
else," she added, "he'll seize the chance to remedy that."

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